Smoke generator



April 3, 19M B. B. BLAcKFoRD ET Al. 2,545,964

SMOKE GENERATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 26, 1946 all.:

INVENTORS CHARLES R. WALLACE `BYBENJAMIN B. BLAGKFORD ATTORNEY L A D R O F K C A L B a B April 3, 1951 2; sheets-sheet 2 Filed March 26. 1946 CHARLES R.' WALLACE. BENJAM|N B. BLACKFORD Patented Apr. 3, v1951 Benjamin B. Blackford and h'ale's Wallace, United States Navy Application March 26, 194's-,iseria1No. 657,321

'1 claim. (o1. 25a-e596 (Grantee iiiiaer me act of .March 3, Issa, as amended April so, 192s; 37o o. c. 757) invention relates to a method and 'appaL Vratus for dispersing volatile smoke-producing substances by ash boiling with a minimum of de- "composition and at high heat transfer eiciency.

Prior to our invention smoke candles have effected a transfer of heat either by mixing a pyrotechnic fuel with a volatile substance, parts of which decomposed during the burning period, or by employing a complicated device wherein a v'streamjof molten volatile material was projected into a stream of hot gases from a pyrotechni'c mixture.

Accordingly, Your invention lhas among its ob- -jets to provide 'a method of operation fora smokeproducing `device which eliminates common diificulties, the method being to ash boil the mate- Yrial'to be .dispersed by causing it to melt and ow ontoa rigid,glowinghot body of fuel.

Another Object of our invention is to provide a simple method and apparatus for the dispersal of varioussmokes from such volatile materials, as zpressed dye cakes, paraffin wax-oil gels, and oil gels with a minimum of decomposition'of the volatile smoke-'producing materials.

Another'object of our invention is-to providea method and apparatus for dispersing vaporizable, organic dyestuffs wherein'the dyestuis'liev in close contact with a hotly 'burning fuel but are lnot substantially decomposed thereby.

*Another object of our invention is t'o provide 'amthodand apparatus for the dispersal of various smokes with a minimum of decomposition thereof, wherein the transfer-of heat fromfuel to volatile material is substantially instantaneous and volatilization is attained `after only momentaryicontact between the volatile material and the fuel.

Another object of our invention is to provide a method and apparatus for the'dispersal of aerosols and smokes from Volatile substances with a minimum of decomposition thereof, wherein the volatilesubstance is 'employed in solid form.

Further and more specic objects'of `our invention will be apparent from a consideration 'of the following descriptionwhen taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein devices representing basic embodiments of V`our invention are show-n a'sfllows:

Figure 1 isa longitudinalsection ofa device 'embodying/curinvention takenV along line Il -I 'of Figur-'e 2;.

f igure isa perspective"viewfpartially'insectn, of ais'ec'ondembodimentofbur invention.

Briey, our invention contemplates the provision Of a method and apparatus whereby volatile, organic, smoke-producing compounds may be dispersed with a nii'ni'mum of decomposition, said method being to las'h boil the material. The transformation of the solid dye stuifs or oil gels into vapors and the departure of these vapors from 'the combustion zone occursso rapidly that no decomposition 'of the vapors takes place. Among the compositions readily dispersed are included oil gels, consisting of dispersione of metallic salts of fatty acids in `high viscosity lubri- `eating oils,solid mixtures-Containing paraninwax 'or ia micro-crystalline wax and 0i1,1and various organic 'dye stuifs'such as the Jazo type dyes Oil Orange-55293 Aand Oil 4Yellow-7463 and the a'rlth'r'aduinone type dye Oil Blue-NA produced 'by the Afinerica'nCyanamid' Company. i

Referring to Figure 1, the device shown compri'ses af-'cylindrical-can I of sheet'metaL'for example 28 gagelsteel, having closed sides and 'bote tom. In the bottom of the can I Vis placed a wafer o'r vvpressed cak`e12f`of the volatile smoke-,producing chnipound, approximating 25 percent 'of the Volatile iiiaterial 'used per can, land over which is pla'c'eda thin sheet offmetal foil 3, for example l01001 lin'ch aluminum foil. A vpressed fuel cake of suitable composition is placed'on the foil and -i`s-`c`overed with-a 'second sheet of foil 5, the seco'ndshethaving a cir'cular hole through its center Ein order :toexposle 'a portion of the surface of'f'the fuel cake. -On thelatter sheet of foil is placed-"a pressed cake 6 of the-material lto be volatili'zed, 'preferably doughnut-shaped, and comprising approximately '75 percent of the smokeproducing v material used lper can. Above the 'smoke-producing compoundis a baille I comprism ing a'flatLbott'omedcup of sheet metal like that 'of 'the-body of the ycian having a tube which is silvers'oliiered to itsbottom center, which tube poj'ets'dwnward'tlirough the central hole of `the-pressed volatilel material S tothe upper surfacegof the -fuel cake-'4. Near'the bottom of the -tubef8, -asmalI pellet or ball 901 loosely packed fuel is -inserted `tolserve as -a starting composition in the ignition of the main body of fuel 4. If desired, the pellets may be 'imbedded in the top surface of the fuel cake 4. A lter unit rests on vthetope'dgr-:sf the baffle 1 and consists of Va sheet'metal;latbottomed cup I!),'having a cental lile ada pliiralityof holes whose centers are' located n"triesa'me circumference' about the k oentrldai'isard are placed'at'equal distances. A

surmounted by a ring of 12mesh Wire screen I2 is contained in the cup.

A top closure for the device is provided in the form of a thin, steel fiat-bottomed cup I3 having a central hole, and a plurality of ports I4 Whose centers are located coaxially With those of the bottom cup IB of. the filter unit and Whose diameters are the same as those of the bottom-cup I0. Over the central hole of the top closure is soldered a nut I5 into which a suitable igniting means such as a grenade fuse I6 is screwed. After the can I has been properly loaded With its elements and said elements and the top closure have been pressed in securely, the unit is hermetically sealed by rolling the top edges of can I over the top edges of top closure I3. To secure tight packing, We prefer to employ elements having diameters substantially equal to that of the main body l in order to secure a tight press-fit.

The device is operated by tripping the grenade starter I6 which projects a ball of flaming pyrotechnic mixture onto the pellet 0 of loose fuel. As this ball of fuel burns, it serves to ignite the main body of fuel 4 which preferably should be structurally strong and clean and even burning. The intense heat supplied by the combustion of the fuel melts the material (i to be volatilized, allowing it to run down onto the glowing-hot body of fuel l Where it immediately iiash boils. The time of contact between fuel and volatile material is of such short duration that no substantia decomposition of the volatile material can occur. The vaporized dye or oil escapesV up through the central tube 3 and out the ports Il of the top closure i3. Any entrained droplets of volatile material are retained by the glass fiber filter' I l and the baille arrangement 'l and are vaporzed by the hot gases from the fuel. Ignition of the escaping vapors is prevented because the vapor velocity attained in escape through the orifices is greater than the flame propagation velocity through the vapors.

The portion 2 of volatile material placed beneath the main body of fuel serves to insulate the latter from the spot on which the can is resting. It is vaporized by the burning fuel cake and its vapors travel up through the ash and out the central tube.

IThe ash produced as the fuel burns should therefore be porous to allow free passage of vapors or gases from surface to surface within the fuel cake. t should have preferably a rigid, clinker-type structure and a high heat capacity in order to present the desirable hot surface suited to flash boiling.

The fuel itself should be structurally strong, should have a high heat capacity per unit volume and should be stable to heat, shock and in storage. A suitable fuel composition having these desirable properties and producing a rigid, porous clinker as preferred is a mixture such as ironammonium nitrate or iron-ammonium nitratesodium nitrate incorporated with suitable fillers as described in the copending application Serial Number 657,325 filed of even date herewith by Richard L. Tuve and Charles R'. Wallace, now abandoned.

A suitable fuel is as follows:

Component: Parts by Weight Ammonium nitrate 61 Iron 34 Vegetable starch 2 Long fibered asbestos 3 The powdered material may be ground together 4 to a substantially homogeneous mixture, and then these and the asbestos fibers shredded together until a mass of asbestos fibers covered with powdered material is obtained. The mixed fuel may then be pressed into cakes of a depth preferably not substantially exceeding one third their diameter. Pressures to 12,000 pounds per square inch may be used.

Further exemplary fuels may be compounded of the following:

Parts by Weight Component Ammonium Nitrate 61 56 Iron 30 36 Vegetable Starch 3 2 Long Fibered Asbestos 3 Glass fiber 3 Magnesium Oxide 3. Sodium Nitrate.-- 3

Referring to Figure 3, the device comprises a cylindrical can 30 of thin steel in the bottom of which is placed ar pressed cake 3l of the volatile material to be dispersed, said material being surmounted by a thin sheet of metal foil such as 0.001 inch aluminum foil 32. O-ver said foilis placed a pressed fuel cake 33 of the general type hereinbefore described which on burning leaves behind a rigid, porous, clinker-type ash. A small pellet or ball 3. of a suitable starting composition is firmly adhered to or embedded inone portion of the periphery of the fuel cake 33.A The upper surface of said fuel cakeA is covered with a second sheet of foil 35 upon which lies a second cake of pressed volatile material. A fiatbottomed, thin, steel cup 3l is provided as a top closure for the device.

After the individual elements have been placed in the main container 30 in the proper order, the top closure 3l' is placed in position on top of the second pressed cake 36 of volatile material. Sufflcient external pressure is then delivered normal to the top closure to force the contents of the container' into close contact. The device may then be hermetically sealed by rolling the top edges of the cap 3l over the topr edges of the can 3D.

After the device has been sealed, a plurality of small holes 38 are cut through the walls of the can 30 at such a level as to expose the surface of the fuel cake 33. These holes serve as exit orifices for the volatilized matter and the gaseous combustion products of the fuel. Another hole 39 is cut soas to lie directly over the ball 34 of starting composition and expose the same. A suitable igniting means such as a red phosphorous match or a grenade fuse may be inserted through this hole to initiate combustion. To prevent the entrance of air through these holes, they are covered with a strip of adhesive tape 40 which may be torn olf when the device is to be used.

y This more simple device may be operated in essentially the same manner as the device shown in Figures 1 and 2. After the sealing tape has been removed, a suitable igniting means is inserted through hole 39 to initiate combustion of the starting composition which may be, for example, a mixture of potassium chlorate and sugar or a lightly packed ball of the fuel mixture used as the main body of fuel. As the starting material burns, it ignites the main body of fuel 33. Volatilizable material 3| and V3I= comingY in con;

tact With the burning fuel is immediately ash boiled, and its vapors depart so rapidly and at such a velocity from the hot fuel cake surface, that no substantial decomposition of the vapors occurs. Both vapors and gaseous combustion products pass through the porous clinker and escape at velocities greater than the flame propagation velocity of the vapors through the exit orices 38. In this embodiment of our invention, the clinker produced by burning the fuel 33 performs the double function of providing a hot surface suited to flash boiling and serving as a filter unit to prevent entrained droplets of volatilized material from escaping.

The features shown in the drawings are applicable to any large smoke pot design. It will be apparent, however, that there are other applications for our invention and many design modifications are possible without departing from its spirit and scope.

We desire that the specific details set forth in the foregoing examples be construed as illustrative and not by way of limitation and that only such limitations be imposed as are indicated in the appended claim.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes Without the payment of any royalty thereon or therefor.

What is claimed is:

A smoke generator comprising a container having walls of smoke-impervious material, a series of three compressed, contiguous, overlying layers in said` container of which the bottom layer is a smoke-producing composition, the intermediate layer is a fuel composition which on combustion yields a rigid porous ash, and the upper layer is a smoke-producing composition, a smoke-irnpervious plate Within the container and overlying the entire area of the upper layer, said plate terminating in an upstanding perimetrical flange abutting the contiguous portions ci the container wall, a tubular member depending from said plate and' extending through the upper layer to the in termediate layer, whereby smoke produced in the upper layer is constrained to enter the intermediate layer for egress from the container, and means communicating with said tubular member at the top thereof for egress of smoke from the container.

BENJAMIN B. BLACKFORD.

CHARLES R. WALLACE.

REFERENCES CTED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 16,841 Bradner Jan. 3, 1928 943,589 Bent et al Dec. 14, 1909 1,336,557 Benner et al Apr. 13, 1920 1,448,073 Lucas et al Mar. 13, 1923 1,541,103 Bradner June 9, 1925 2,173,756 Kronenberg Sept. 19, 1939 2,333,637 Carey Nov. 9, 1943 '2,396,710 Levey et al Mar. 19, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 4,580 Great Britain of 1904 8,642 Great Britain of 1915 

